Don't worry - that's the message from fire officials Wednesday night after people in Oregon towns reported ash fallout from an 11,000-acre wildfire near The Dalles.

Fire spokesman Tom Field said the ash fallout is a common occurrence and deemed to be safe.

He said Parkdale and Odell homeowners reported the ash Wednesday, but many people living in the Portland metro area also reported finding ash on their cars Thursday morning.

Sharon Chinn, who lives in southwest Portland, said she took her dog out Wednesday night and her dog started to sniff the air. Chinn then noticed pieces of ash falling from the sky.

"It reminded me of the ash from Mount St. Helens. Certainly we got more from that ashfall here in the Portland metro area, but it was very similar," Chinn said. "When I woke up this morning, there was a very similar light layer of ash on our vehicles."

Chinn said it looked almost like someone sprinkled baking powder on the windshield of the car.

The ash fallout is expected to discontinue Thursday, but that doesn't mean the wildfire threat is lessening. Firefighters battling the blaze say it's a "crucial day" for slowing the spread, but that weather conditions will make for a challenging day. Four homes and nine outbuildings have been destroyed by the fire so far.